Judge will retry Baby Ryker death case without jury

When the pair charged with the death of 18-month old Baby Ryker return to court this spring, a judge will oversee the trial alone.

Amanda Dumont and Scott Bakker each face a charge of criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessaries of life.

Ryker Dapont-Michaud died May 21, 2014, three days after being scalded with boiling water. Neither his mother, Dumont, nor her boyfriend, Bakker, sought medical treatment for injuries.

The pair originally faced trial last fall, but proceedings ended when Dumont had an acute case of appendicitis. One of the jurors in that trial committed suicide shortly after a mistrial was declared.

London lawyer Gord Cudmore, who represents Bakker, said the retrial by judge, slated for June 5th in London, will prevent jurors from being traumatized by the evidence, which includes photos of the deceased toddler.

“In any case like this, where there’s a lot of emotional evidence, juries have to contend with that, and they do,” Cudmore said. “That was a concern or a troubling concern for everybody.”

Cudmore also said a judge might be better able to stomach difficult evidence.

“They’re used to that and dealing with it,” he said. “It’s easier, I think–it’s not easy, but easier–(for a judge) to get past the emotion and deal with it on an objective basis.”

Cudmore said he’s looking for an acquittal for Bakker.